Consumer demo event provides opportunity to ride next year’s gear

Test bike No. 2 was the much-hyped Ibis Mojo HD3. It was no surprise that a 27.5-inch bike with 150mm of front and rear travel could bash through Moab chunk like a monster truck in a shopping mall parking lot. But what did surprise was how amazingly well this bike went up hill. Whether it was steady grinders or techy lifts, the Mojo HD3 had little issue defeating gravity. Ride this bike blindfolded and you’d think you were on a long travel 29er XC bike when climbing.

Thanks to a helping hand from our personal rig, a Pivot Mach 6, we managed to weigh all the bikes we tested. This size XL Ibis Mojo HD 3 with an upper tier build came in right at 28.5 pounds — with Stan’s but sans pedals.

The result of all that hard work, more options than you could ever hope to cover during one three-day weekend. Good thing there’s an Outerbike Moab in the spring, too.

Once upon a time Kathy Pruitt was among America’s premier pro gravity racers. Today, she’s the front woman for Juliana Bicycles. Great to see you as always, Kathy.

If and when you tire of riding around Moab, nearby Crested Butte, Colorado is a worthy next destination. The Gunnison Valley area was genesis for this whole mountain biking thing and has some of the most amazing high alpine riding in the world. No wonder our Mtbr features editor (and author of this post) just moved there full time.

Some schwag is useless, some useful. This stuff is liquid gold on the rough and tumble trails in and around Moab.

Orbea may be based in Spain, but that didn’t stop the mountain and road bike maker from showing up in Moab with a fleet of its new Occam trail bikes.

An avid cyclist, Jason Sumner has been writing about two-wheeled pursuits of all kinds since 1999. He’s covered the Olympics, Tour de France, MTB world champs, and dozens of other international cycling events. He also likes to throw himself into the fray, penning first-person accounts of cycling adventures all over the globe. Sumner, who joined the Mtbr staff in 2013, has also done extensive gear testing and is the author of the cycling guide book "75 Classic Rides: Colorado." When not writing or riding, the native Coloradoan can be found enjoying life with his wife Lisa and kids Cora and Tommy in and around their home in the MTB Mecca of Crested Butte.

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